Koma Inu's S Class Trials X800 Trial 2: Two Women in Vosca
It was a rather hot and dry day in Vosca, a climate that would be bothersome to most, but Haru Diabla wasn't a part of that group. Delighted with her advancement to the second stage of the trials, Haru couldn't care less about the heat radiating from the sun. The pink-haired animal lover was excitedly awaiting the next stage of the test, where'd she be undertaking it with a new partner. "I wonder what I will have to overcome this time." She thought aloud, with a happy yet thoughtful look on her face. "I guess I should wait for my partner first." Haru finished. The hot atmosphere didn't really bother Alysia Fǎ too much after all it was nothing compared to the fiery competition of a hostile forest out to undermine you. She approached Haru from afar ready for whatever trials they would encounter in this city. She made sure her glasses were adjusted as she reached Haru. "Alysia Fǎ at your service. I hope this venture is successful." She tried to maintain a professional attitude but with so many people nearby her confidence was not at its best. "I hope that this venture is successful too." Haru responded in a polite manner as she brushed a strand of hair to the side of her face. "Well then, I believe we should get going, we shouldn't waste any time in this test." She told her partner, Alysia as they started to make their way through the crowds of sweaty, smelly and hot people. But there was one person who stood out in the crowds of people, a person seemingly unaffected by the heat like them, a feat that should be incapable to a normal person. But this red-haired female seemed just like the two taking part in the trials, she seemed like a mage. Dakota had marked her spot in the bustling city of bodies confidently; in the center of a market district, the woman had created a chair and had seated herself there, the deep crimson blades held across her thighs enough to keep anyone a good distance away from her. From her icy throne, a pale smog whispered out, slithering across the ground and providing a cool relief to the people around her. As Alysia and Haru approached her, she sheathed her swords at either side of her body. "Good day ladies. I'm just gonna jump right into since neither of you has managed to piss me off too badly. In the next few minutes, I'm going to ask you a few questions and you need to answer them honestly. Should you lie, it will be found at later. Maybe not until years down the road, but it will be discovered eventually. And the lion dogs don't take kindly to liars, especially this one. So, with that incentive in mind, let's begin. Oh, and answer independently, please." She pauses a moment, gathering her thoughts for a moment before beginning again. "The first one is situational. You are taking a stroll through Onibus Town when you spot someone robbing a bank. As they leave the scene of the crime, they approach a donation center and begin to hand over all the money they have just taken. You know they've committed a crime, but if you go to the authorities, the money will be promptly returned to the bank. What do you do in this situation?" Thinking long and hard about the question, Haru finally managed to come to a conclusion. "I would have to hand over the thief and the money to the authorities. Though said thief has good intentions in mind, their previous action negates what they have just done. It's unfair for the bank to be the victim of something that could be sorted out in another way. I mean, there are a lot of other ways to help the donation centre, and one of those ways can be the bank funding them, this time, with permission." Haru explained while waving her hands while she spoke. "That's my choice anyways." Haru added, wrapping up her decision. She then looked over to her side expectantly, now awaiting her partner's answer. It didn't take Alysia long to come up with an answer to this situational question. "First i'd explain the situation to the donation center they have a right to know whether or not they've been given dirty money, next i'd alert the authorities about it then go on a job spree to help the center out with my own money if I can. Its important to help officials when theres trouble, the law isn't always clear cut in this types of situations if I can help undo any damage that could have been done, its scary how different the rules of one place differ from that of another, if its within my power to assist I will." She folded her arms together and waited for Dakota's next question so far so good. After Dakota receives their answers, she moves onto the next one. "You are requested to undertake a mission of some type by a trustworthy acquaintance of yours. It seems they do not entrust this task to anyone but you, which is why they haven't posted it on any job board. As they explain it, you discover that the task is not simple, but, it is in your range of abilities. As you begin the mission, it seems they have left out a crucial part of its explanation; the task at hand goes against your moral code to the extreme. You've already begun and accepted a portion of the reward you would receive after completing the mission, but fulfilling this mission would mean that you would have to ignore your heart's truest feelings. Do you continue on, or do you explain to your acquaintance that you cannot complete the mission set before you?" Haru once again found herself in a dilemma. "I would..." She began before pausing her again, doubting the answer she was about to give. "I would," She started again. "Not complete the mission, though it came from a person that entrusted me with this job alone, I can't bring myself to break my own moral code. I don't want to end up regretting something for the rest of my life. My past hasn't been too bright so I don't need anything else staining the life I'm trying to enjoy to the fullest. Though I will feel guilty for not being able to fulfil the task set upon me by my friend, though my performance could be affected if I'm uncomfortable with the job, something that can not only put my life at risk, but many other people's lives at risk, something that should be avoided at all costs." Haru answered as she took a breather while wiping a bead of sweat dripping from her forehead and slowly trickling down her face. It was a tough question for her as it was practically visible from her face that she kept questioning her answer midway through. Now directing her thoughts away from the matter, Haru wondered whether it'd be tough for Alysia as well. Alysia said nothing at first contemplating it thoroughly it was quite the dilemma. "I cannot comply with the task, my moral compass guides me in what I decide right or wrong much like my heart if it cannot comply with the situation I will run, I would return the portion of the reward I received then go about my life as i've always had. I feel the acquaintance would understand this." She paused for a moment. "That question is vague there are numerous deviations that could relate to this task and depending on what it is how it relates to the acquaintance and people around him or her my response could change. Ones moral compass is different then anothers after all." She nodded and waited for the final question hoping its not as difficult as this one. She waits until they have given their answer again before continuing on. "This is the final question. Please recite our guild's motto and explain to me what it means to you. Be as detailed or as blunt as you please." Haru confidently smirked, the guild's motto is something she follows by everyday as a mage of Koma Inu. "Be strong, but not rude. Be kind, but not weak. Be bold, but not bully. Be humble, but not timid. Be proud, but not arrogant. Let us show that everyone is welcome at our guild, but that our enemies must stay wary!" Haru recited with pride. "I believes it means that we should try to become the best we can be, not only as a mage of Koma Inu but as a person. Though we all have our flaws, this shows us that we can learn from our mistakes and correct our actions. It shows that we should accept those who have the same intentions as us and reject those who have opposite intentions. If that makes sense." Haru answered, as mused to herself whether her answer was suitable, it seemed to be a developing habit of her to question all her actions in these trials. She looked over to a partner, seeing how much the contrast in answers will be. Alysia nodded as she placed her left hand to her glasses then started speaking, her accessory on the left side of her head almost seemed to glow as if it recognized a request. "Be strong, but not rude. Be kind, but not weak. Be bold, but not bully. Be humble, but not timid. Be proud, but not arrogant. Let us show that everyone is welcome at our guild, but that our enemies must stat wary!" She placed her hands together in front of her as she continued to speak. "The meaning of these words, are simple be the better woman, if you win don't brag about it, if you lose be humble. We walk a path to a shining bright light together, we walk a dangerous crossroad to the future if our mistakes cause us to trip and fall then thats that. We walk forward with a hop in our steps and see that we aren't alone in our journeys and that no matter what happens we aren't alone." Alysia spoke, and hoped she gave a correct wording of her interpretation of the guilds motto, she hoped this would satisfy Dakota's need for an answer and that both her and Haru's words had impressed her and that she'd give them the go ahead to go ahead. As she received their answers, she documented them in icy scripture through the usage of her Ice-Make Magic to ensure no part of what they spoke would be omitted when it was relayed. "Alright, great job completing the first portion of the trials, ladies. Now leave and fulfill the rest of the tasks before your time runs out!" She says, making a shooing motion with her hands. "Yeah!" Haru responded as she and Alysia started to wander aimlessly throughout the city, the temperature slowly rose throughout the day and it was rather though this didn't bother the two. They slowly made their way through the crowd of people as they would soon find their next challenge up ahead, but neither of them knew what it was going to be. Alysia was excited it was going well so far although she didn't know how long this trial was she was looking forward to the next activity. Her sense of direction continued to guide them forward looking for the next proctor they needed to meet before they could go on. "They aren't making it easy to find them are they? Hopefully we find them soon." Alysia continued on ahead leading them through the city. Tojima stood in a large, open plaza. The masked man of towering height being the only soul around, that coupled with his dark clothing on such a sunny day making him nearly impossible to miss to anyone approaching from the four possible directions in which the participants could enter. The after sun had begun to dip slightly, no longer hanging directly overhead and allowing the shadows to stretch out from the objects blocking the light. Hearing footsteps approach, Tojima snapped out of his deep thoughts and turned to face the two who had interrupted him. The man addressed them with a nod, not being one for formalities with people he barely knew. Once the two had stopped on the large golden circle that signified the center of the plaza, Tojima cleared his throat ready to present them with the second part of this trial. "Good and bad, right and wrong. There are people in this world who believe those ideas to be as clear cut as black and white, that things are much more simple than others tend to make them out to be." Tojima started, his voice cold and emotionless, " As mages of any level of skill or rank you will be tasked with upholding not only the morals of the guild but your own as well. You will be forced to make tough decisions with no clear right or wrong answer and be forced to live with the choices you make. This idea is why you have been asked to meet me here today, to be faced with making a tough choice that will reflect on how not only I will see you, but your fellow guildmates as well." Tojima explained. He pauses for a moment before continuing, "Something has gone terribly wrong and you have been forced into a situation in which you must choose to condemn on of your loved ones to death. In this situation let us say it is your mother and your sister. Anyways, one of them must die and the choice has been given to you. You are powerless to do anything but choose. Which would you consider the lesser of two evils? Who would you condemn to death? Your relationship with your parents or lack there of should not affect your answer as the use of mother and sister are merely there to help you understand the gravity of the situation you find yourself in. I do not need explanations, only answers. Do decide quickly, time is short." Taken aback by the sudden question, Haru was about to speak her answer before she had to rephrase it in order to avoid "explaining" her answer. "There's no way I'd condemn either of them to death. There is always a way to prevent something in my opinion, in a situation like that, I won't be powerless. If they die, I'll die with them." Haru answered. Alysia was surprised at the sudden question she contemplated silently for a few seconds before responding, "Mother has lived long great satisfying life.... My sis doesn't deserve a sudden end." Realistically her mother was already very old and she had already gone to the other side exclaiming the wonderful life she's had before passing on. She hoped her and Haru's answer would satisfy Tojima. Tojima nodded, "Haru, In both foresight it is easy to say that 'There is no way I'd ever let this happen. I'm strong enough to protect everyone. Even if I couldn't I would die alongside them'. Optimism is good, but in some cases being too optimistic can lead to naiveté. As I said before, there will be times in your life that you will be faced with difficult choices in which there is no clear answer. In a situation like the one I described, you choosing to die alongside them, in my opinion, translates into, 'I do not want to make this tough decision. Therefore I am choosing to lose three lives instead of just one'. You must understand that there will be times when you cannot save everyone, but to fail to save anyone, not even yourself, because the choice was too difficult for you to decide is the same as giving up. Some say to die for and alongside your friends is a noble act but was it not a very that once said 'You don't die for your friends, you live for them'?" Tojima explained before taking off his mask and placing it within his cloak, "Do think over what I have said. Good luck in your next phase of the trials." Tojima said as the golden circle to two were standing on gave way to a pitfall that would lead them down into the sewers where they would encounter their next obstacle. Haru was completely silent after Tojima's response. Not only did he see through Haru with relative ease, one of her many sayings that she followed by had just been destroyed. Hoping that her partner wouldn't sense her disappointment, the mage of Koma Inu descended into the sewers, hoping to prove herself and not fail completely like in the last phase. Determined, she stomped her way through the sewers, hoping to find the next obstacle, though the only thing they were finding was the smell of human (and maybe even animal) waste travelling through the tunnel. Though what she soon came across unnerved her more than anything else she saw in her life. Fresh blood was painted all across the walls in front of them, and on the ceiling of the sewers, the blood was in the shape of icicles. "That shouldn't even be possible with a temperature like this..." Haru pondered as she was now on full edge, and the constant dripping that seemed to etch louder and louder by each passing second didn't calm her either. In fact, the dripping seemed to be a bit sketchy as it didn't seem to be an illusion as Alysia noticed the noise as well. Suddenly, her enhanced senses suddenly spiked as her body was practically screaming danger. Suddenly jumping out of the way as her resistance to the signals reached the limit, a horde of arrows seemingly composed of blood narrowly skimmed her as implanted themselves into the wall. "W-What just happened?!" She whispered in a hushed and nervous tone. "Have you come to play with me?" A young feminine voice called out, though in the current situation, it only made the atmosphere even more tense. Footsteps echoed throughout the tunnel, and it was obvious that it was getting closer. A shadowy figure seemed to be closing the distance between the two. A stray ray of light shun down on the girl who had now stopped. Revealing a long white dress that was obviously too big for the girl, with multiple blood stains on both her straight, long black hair and on her dress, the girl tilted her head to the side. "You two would make a nice addition to the dolls I already have." She kindly added, making her danger levels rocket through the sky for Haru. The animal-lover was completely frozen on the floor, as all she could do was sweat fear. Alysia's gauntlets were glowing red indicating a blood magic user, her gauntlets can detect sources of magic and the girl in front of her seemingly has a powerful amount of it. She drew her sword Silvermoon when she saw the blood on the ceiling and walls of the sewer. She noticed Haru's face and it was easy for her to read her, "Haru I think this is another trial her words and appearance I believe are apart of this trial. Don't let the sight of blood fool you about the danger level!" Alysia struck the wall and floor with her sword as her swords ability activated her Blazing Silver Curse restraining her would be a good way to instigate a victory condition in this trial she imagined. Her silver that came from her sword strikes started spreading forward onto the nearby sources of magic the blood on the walls and the ceiling as they came in contact with the silver too started to turn into silver, The girls face was surprised as she launched several needles of blood at her only to be blocked by one of Alysia's rebound barriers the needles got sent back at the girl ducking out of the way of them. Alysia's combat switch was switched on she was curious as to how Haru would assist in combat so her silver was just converting the blood infused with magic on the walls and ceilings. Nova's Trial As Nova was approached by the two participants she gave a cheery wave and beckoned them forward with her hand. Practically buzzing with excitement at both being found so she could deliver her lines and the curiosity of how this pair will answer, the short redhead she announced, "Hello, it's great to see you two and congrats on making it this far. I have a riddle for you that you simply need to answer to advance. Maybe you hit it right on the head, maybe you don't, just tell me what you think, okay? Are we ready?" Clearing her throat and bringing her features, tone, and body language into one of solid monotonous being, she continued with the promised riddle. "A Pope in red stands atop his jewel torus. His Cardinals surround him, seeking guidance towards the truth. Though the Pope confesses his secret in the Latin midday. His alliance will always lie with one Cardinal above the rest. This polar persona will vary to a degree, but his direction will not change. With this he will lead his followers to the salvation they seek. His guided judgement may be trustworthy, but it is not always true. What is this Church that houses the Pope and his Cardinals?" Alysia considered the possibilities but reached the the answer she believed to be correct by what seemed the simplest for the answer to the riddle. "I'm gonna go with home. Simply because home is a sacred place its where you relax and kick away all the stress thats been eating at you for the entire day." After giving her answer to the riddle she awaited Haru's answer before they continued to the destination. Haru continued to recite the riddle in her head as multiple theories swarmed in her like flies. She soon came to a decision as for some reason, Tojima's answer rang in the back of her head. "I think, no, I'm sure that this church, is a guild as we all aspire and follow the guild master, and though the guild master may not always come to the right decision, we can trust them with out any doubts." Haru answered to the proctor before the pair of S-Class candidates continued onto their next destination, where they'd find their final challenge, though this was unknown to both of them at the time. Samarra's Trial Finally reaching the final destination where the last hurdle was meant to be completed, Haru slightly froze up upon the sight of the seeing Samarra, the master of the very guild she had recently been accepted into. The animal-lover was in awe, it was a honour yet for some reason, scary that she was in the direct presence of the guild master. She was delighted to see that one pair had finally made it to her location, but she could sense the heightened emotion and nerves radiating from their being before they even walked into the courtyard. She found it almost laughable that they would be nervous, as she believed her part in this trial was the simplest of them all. She gives the two a warm smile as she folds her hands down in front of her, “Glad to see a team has finally made it to the Colosseum! Welcome you two, I hope the other judges weren’t too hard on you. But I wouldn’t be surprised if they were, as we hold this portion of the trial in high regards; probably much more so than the others. You have been asked to speak our guild’s motto, which I hope you knew, but you have realized that we speak little of power in those words. That is because we pride ourselves more on our intelligence and strong moral values, as well as our strength as a collective, rather than our individual power. That is why this trial was not one you could blaze your way through with raw strength and overwhelming spells; but was one that caused you to look inside and evaluate what was important to you and who you are. Through the choices you made in your words and your actions you showed us pieces of who you are, and given us an idea of how you would represent our guild as an S Class mage.” Samarra paused a moment to pull out two pieces of paper and pens, eyes intensely following her actions. “Now I am going to ask you to look inside one more time and reflect for your last challenge of this trial. You can write your answers down on these papers because I want your honest truth. Now I have three questions for you.” “The first question is why do you want to become an S Class mage?” Samarra pauses a moment to allow them to write down the question as well as their answers. Once she sees that the pens have stopped she continues on. Alysia had written down the question rather quickly she was very used to these types of things after all. She looked back onto why she wanted to become S class in the first place and wrote down, "I wanted to become S class to simply push myself to try and reach the fullest potential I have as a mage. I heard the S class trials are really tough so trying out for them would really show my worth to everyone." After finishing her answer she awaited Haru to finish writing then awaited Samarra. A familiar feeling struck Haru as she was yet again, taken aback by another question. Scared of making another mistake as she wanted to avoid the question again, it took a few minutes for her to actually find the right answer to respond with. She soon scribbled it down on the piece of paper before reluctantly yet emotionally reading it aloud, "'I-I want to become an S-Class Mage because I've had enough of being viewed as a weakling, an underdog, someone who is completely useless. I want to show everybody that I'm actually a person that shouldn't be looked down upon!" “Number two. Who are you looking out for in these trials and why?” Samarra spoke, pausing one more time to allow for answers. She wrote the question and pondered her reply it would have to be someone she would prefer not to fight the most upon thinking on this she wrote down her answer. "I'd really not like to fight Mr. Adam D. Draco I don't mean to be rude but his appearance frightens me ever so slightly." She placed her pen on the paper and awaited for Samarra to list her final question. She quickly jotted down her answer as Tojima's response continued to repeat in her head, louder, louder and louder. "I'd like to say that I wouldn't want to fight anybody but that would be the same as running away from the question at hand." Haru began, using similar words as one of the examiners. "I'd prefer not to fight Aiden Cordelia, he helped me through the first trial and I'd rather not want to be the thorn in his path that stops him from becoming S-Class. That would be the opposite of returning the favour, something that I have yet to do." She answered. “And finally number three. In this upcoming challenge, who do you want to face the most and why?” Samarra says with a smile, waiting for them to finish scribbling down their answers before taking their papers from them. She then moves aside to give way to the corridor that leads into the Colosseum and instructs them, “Thank you both, and congratulations on making it to the end of this second trial. You guys can go sit inside as we wait for the other teams to finish, then we will make our announcement for the final part of this S Class trial.” Alysia smiled ever so slightly and she begun to jot down her answer. "I'd like to fight Mr. Sagewing the most I was one of his comrades for the first part of the trial and would hope to meet with him again in the finales the most." After writing her answer she handed her paper and pen to Samarra and walked calmly inside looking forward to the last part of the trial hoping she made it to the very end either she passed or not either way she felt accomplished she got through half of the trial and hoped that she could stand in the final circle together with the comrade she made on the first trial in either combat or a clash either way she smiled. The Eye Magic user grinned as there was one person she was itching to face. "I want to face Mr. Vennillion Doomkaiser, I heard he had an interesting eye magic, I'd love to see the contrast in difference between our eye magic." Haru answered with excitement filled in her. "I'm presume this must be the final test if the master is here though, I wonder what the next trial is, well, the real question is, will I advance to the next trial?" Haru pondered out loud.